It is obvious there is widespread ignorance regarding the meaning of the First Amendment to the Constitution as it pertains to the issue of religious freedom. It states, in pertinent part: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

The Supreme Court, whose job is to interpret our laws, including the Constitution and the amendments to it, has decided that this phrase means that there should be a wall of separation between churches (religious groups) and our government (the state). In doing so, they adopted the language of Thomas Jefferson from a letter he wrote in 1802.

This wall of separation means that religious groups cannot use the government to promote their religious beliefs, and the government can't promote any religion or one religion over another. Religion and government are to be kept separate.

Our government recently passed a law that says employers of more than 50 people must provide health insurance. This law exempts churches from this requirement. Yet many churches, religious groups and private companies run by overtly religious people are saying that contraception violates their religious beliefs, and they should not be forced to provide contraception.

They're not.

Under the Affordable Care Act, employers must provide health insurance, which for women, includes contraception. Religious groups and private employers, such as Hobby Lobby, are trying to avoid this mandate of the law and be held exempt from providing health insurance that covers contraception, citing religious grounds. If this is allowed, those religious groups will be using government to promote their religion by forcing any nonbelievers they employ to live by that religion's standards. That is improper under the First Amendment.

It is also illogical. If employers are or claim to be Christian Scientists, they would easily be able to avoid the law and not have to provide health insurance at all because they don't believe in medical care (God will heal you or not). That would invite fraud.

But the bigger question is, are we going to allow employers to choose the kind of health care to provide? Does your employer get to make decisions regarding what type of medical care you get, regardless of what you and your doctor believe to be proper? Do you want your boss involved in your health care decisions? That is exactly what the result will be if these religious groups get their way.

Conservatives decry government being involved in health care decisions, but they seem to encourage employer involvement. And don't forget, the ACA is a conservative idea, dreamt up by the very conservative Heritage Foundation and supported for years by conservatives like Bob Dole - until a Democrat proposed it.

Page 2 of 2 - Why are they fighting this law so hard? For political reasons, of course. Some churches and their supporting religious groups have been trying for years to fight against Democrats, even preaching on Sundays that to support any Democratic candidate for national office is to violate the tenets of their faith and they risk going to hell. Oh, they don't come out and say "Democratic candidates," but their meaning very clear.

Churches have tax-exempt status because they are supposed to be separate from the political environment in our country. As a start, if they want to participate in our secular government, maybe they could start by paying income taxes like the rest of us.